The Peach Kitchen

5 Things To Know Before You Start Consuming Turmeric For A Stronger Immune System

Posted: 19 Feb 2021 01:28 PM PST

The yellow and high-contrast herbal perennial with origins from South India known as turmeric has the whole U.S. falling in love with its proclaimed health benefits. It has recently been praised for its capability to boost your immune system and prevent anything from an ordinary cold to more severe diseases.

Turmeric is a herb made from the turmeric plant, and the significant active component that makes it so healthy is called curcumin. Turmeric is mostly harvested for its roots, and it is also known to be a very close relative to ginger, yet another plant whose root is also a real power booster for the immune system.

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Staring at the spice aisles at local grocery stores or in the supplement division in local pharmacies you can easily spot turmeric. It originated in India, but now people across the world are using it daily.

So, if you're interested in starting to use turmeric as a part of your diet, you're in the right place. Here are five things to know about this magic herb before you start using it for a better immune system.

How To Implement Turmeric In Your Diet

Turmeric can be added to a person’s diet in a variety of ways. It can be consumed as a spice, medicinal supplement, or simply you can fix yourself a nice and warm cup of turmeric tea. Turmeric tea is a deliciously rejuvenating drink that you can take at night before sleep without worrying about caffeine.

Since there are numerous ways of using it, you are free to choose which consumption method suits your everyday routines and lifestyle. However, here are three critical things to consider when you go out to your closest grocery store to buy turmeric.

Fresh Is Better. Fresh turmeric is full of tons of nutritional benefits. If you have the possibility, you should always buy it fresh instead of in powder form.
Be Picky. The quality of the raw supplies always makes a significant difference. Consider looking for organic and authentic Indian turmeric for your kitchen.
Avoid Stocking Up. Keep in mind that the quality of these products is drained by being frequently exposed to air. The best way to store this kind of product is to buy smaller amounts and keep it in a cold dark place.

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Turmeric Is A True Antioxidant Champion

Basically, antioxidants are food compounds that help our cells not get damaged by free radicals. Free radicals are defined as scavengers in our body that can damage our cells if they remain uncontrolled.

So, when everything is in balance, our body gets rid of free radicals’ standard level naturally. This is why antioxidants are vital to our body since they drastically help our body fight them off.

For this reason, turmeric is known to be a real antioxidant champion. It is considered as one of the plants with the highest amount of antioxidant power on the planet. Thanks to its active components, curcuminoids, turmeric is a powerful weapon in neutralizing free radicals and preventing further development.

How To Get The Maximum Benefit Out Of It

If you give turmeric a chance and add it to your everyday diet regimen, you'll see the benefits one way or another. However, to get the maximum benefits that turmeric offers, consider consuming it in one of the following three recommended ways.

Take it together with black pepper. The piperine in black pepper is known to enhance turmeric's bioaccumulation and its absorption within the human body's cells up to 2000%. As a result, piperine helps turmeric's beneficial components get through the intestinal wall much more comfortably.

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Take it together with healthy fats. Turmeric is known to be a fat-dissolvable food, simply meaning that it breaks up in fat. Eating it together with healthy fats like seeds, coconut oil, avocado, olive, etc., can further enhance its absorption into the body.

Heat it before consumption. Many spices tend to transform while heated and activate their nutritional components during the process. For that reason, heat the turmeric before consuming it. The easiest way to do so is to add it while cooking hot dishes and improve its bioaccumulation.

Positive Effects Of Turmeric

The positive side effects of turmeric are many and undeniable. Additionally, recent findings have shown that it is also a potent pain reliever. It helps relieve pain caused by conditions such as arthritis, and it seemed to have the same effect as ibuprofen.

It also enhances the improvement of liver function because of its antioxidant capability. So, it might stop your liver from getting damaged by the toxins in the body. Turmeric proves highly beneficial for people who take many medications and suspect that they might hurt the essential liver functions.

Finally, the curcumin in turmeric is showing promise as a treatment for cancer. Some studies suggested that turmeric has defensive effects against prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and multiple myeloma.

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Side Effects That You Should Know About

While turmeric provides positive health effects, it might also create some adverse effects that you should definitely know about before consuming it daily.

Turmeric can sometimes upset the stomach, of course, if you take plenty of it. Turmeric can trigger your stomach to make more gastric acid and cause unwanted short-time effects. Also, the cleansing characteristics of the turmeric may cause bleeding in some cases. For now, there is no sound reason why this might occur, but people who are on blood-thinning meds should avoid frequent use of this Indian spice.

Final Words

As you already have read by now, turmeric's ability to help boost your health is undeniable, and most definitely, it is a sure ticket to a better immune system. Therefore, before you get on your immune system strengthening journey with this wonder herb, make sure to go carefully through the things and tips mentioned above.

The post 5 Things To Know Before You Start Consuming Turmeric For A Stronger Immune System appeared first on The Peach Kitchen.

How To Reduce Food Waste at Home

Posted: 19 Feb 2021 01:09 PM PST

From spoiled produce to uneaten leftovers, food wastage has become a habit for many people worldwide. In addition to leading you and your family to incur extra expenses, food wastage also damages our environment by straining the natural resources necessary to produce, process, store, and transport food.

pickles

Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the food wasted within your household. They include the following.

Be a Smart Shopper

Most people tend to buy more food than they need. Although you may perceive buying in bulk to be convenient, it could lead to unnecessary food wastage. To avoid buying more food than what you need within your household, replace bulk shopping with making occasional trips to the grocery store when necessary.

Ensure that you make a list of the things that you need to buy before visiting the grocery store and stick to it. It would also help if you used up all the food you have in the house before buying more.

Preserve Your Food

You might be surprised to find out that food preservation methods such as pickling and fermenting have been around for centuries. This is because they are among the best methods to make food last longer and reduce wastage.

Freezing, pickling, curing, fermenting, canning, and drying food are environmentally friendly preservation methods. They help to shrink your carbon footprint while saving you money. These methods are fun and straightforward, but if you have no idea where to start, you could easily purchase canned or fermented food, which lasts longer than fresh groceries.

Keep Your Refrigerator Free From Clutter

While having a well-stocked fridge is convenient, overstocking can lead to food wastage. If you cannot spot a food item easily in your fridge, you will likely forget about it and only realize it when it spoils.

To avoid such instances, avoid overstocking your fridge and keep it organized so that you can easily spot a food item and keep track of when you purchased it. You may utilize the First In, First Out “FIFO” method while organizing the refrigerator for minimal wastage.

Save the Leftovers

Although some people save the remaining food from large meals, few get to eat it afterward. They tend to forget it in the refrigerator and then throw it away when it spoils. This habit contributes significantly to the total food wasted in your home.

To avoid forgetting about your leftovers, you can store them in clear containers rather than opaque ones. This way, you will see what is in the container and make a point of using it before it goes bad. Additionally, if you often cook and find that you have any leftovers at the end of the week, designate a day to use them before accumulating them in the refrigerator.

Food wastage has become a significant concern across the globe. Applying the above tips can help you to reduce waste and increase food sustainability within your household. The above tips are effective and if you can make them a habit, you will never waste food in your household.

The post How To Reduce Food Waste at Home appeared first on The Peach Kitchen.

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Friday, February 19, 2021